5 freshest rumors about the iPad Mini

With the expected announcement of the iPad mini being just hours away, the strong excitement in the tech community can already be felt pretty easily. Everyone is waiting impatiently for Tim Cook and company to come out on stage and start throwing those "amazings," "phonemenals," and "incredibles" at the new device.

Interestingly, it seems like Apple has lost its unique ability of keeping the secrets secret, and now, just like with the iPhone 5, we can say that we already know quite a lot about the iPad mini with a significant degree of certainty. While it was once impossible to hear a thing about an upcoming Apple device, it's now just like any other brand out there - we have tons of leaks and rumors, many of which sounding rather trustworthy.

With just hours until the official presentation of the iPad mini, we've decided to go over 5 of the freshest rumors we've heard about the iPad mini. Let's see what the latest news surrounding this exciting tablet are!

5 freshest rumors about the iPad mini

1. Emphasis on education

Word is that Apple is going to put an emphasis on education with the iPad mini. Of course, the small tablet will function just like a normal tablet, but a new update to iBooks and a lot of iPad minis popping up in classrooms aren't out of the question.

2. Price: $329

Well, so much for that beloved $199 price. According to the latest rumors, the iPad mini's base model will be priced north of $300. If you're wondering why Apple would price its device so much higher than most of its competitors, well, it's because that's what it does.

3. No 8 GB model?

By the looks of it, there will be no 8 GB model of the iPad mini, which can be seen as one of the reasons why it's expected to cost $329. If some leaked documents are to be trusted, the model with the least amount of space will be a 16 GB one. 32 GB and 64 GB variants are also expected.

4. Pre-orders start on October 26

Fortunately for Apple fans, the pre-orders for the new iPad mini are expected to begin just three days after the announcement itself, which, as you know, is scheduled for today. If that is indeed the case, we'd advise you all to take advantage of the pre-ordering process in order to guarantee yourself an iPad mini come launch day. Speaking of which...

5. Shipping on November 2

The iPad mini is believed to launch no later than November 2, which is also right around the corner. As we said though, it might be wise to pre-order your device as soon as possible, or else you might find yourself desperately driving from store to store on November 2, trying find that lone remaining iPad mini waiting just for you.